When in Rome, Roam away

Oh where to start. Well first things first…WE PROMISE TO POST LOTS OF PICTURES TOMORROW!!!!

okay we are very thankful that rome was our first stop in italy. Only because it’s not much of our style. Rome is a must see of course but we prefer more intimate setting where we actually can trick ourselves into believing we truly are locals.

Pros of Rome: vast amount of history…truth be told I may have learned more in the last few days than I ever did in any class…who needs college? Go to Europe. Our favorite was the Forum walk which included the Colosseum , Palatine Hill, and the hub of Roman civilization remains. Also, we were privileged enough to see a lot of sites relevant to Peter and Paul’s ministry.

Another pro…we also enjoyed Rome’s night life in a more local flavor. Only by accident on our first night after wondering around for several miles (and by the way miraculously ending up in the EXACT same place where we began…no joke it was truly a miracle) we stumbled upon an entire atmosphere of outside chill time by the Tiber River. There were several restaurants lined up where people sat on pillows with low tables and simply chilled while they enjoyed a good drink, some food, and great people watching. Noelle’s personal favorite which she got a kick out of more than anything were all the people playing competitive fooseball. We definitely went back there the next night to have dinner which was great minus two things: some high guy wouldn’t leave us alone and attempted to order a kabob sandwich which our waitress tried to bring out and we could barely explain to her that he just sat down and we didn’t know him (she didn’t speak English) and the fact that it took her longer to bring us our check than it took to order and eat our meal. We tried to get her attention but once again that language barrier proved to be a slight issue. Other than that, one of the best locations in Rome.

Cons.
Rome is dirty. Being one of the oldest cities you can imagine how much trash has accumulated over
Rome is crowded. This includes but is not limited to crowded subways, buses, restaurants, sidewalks, and lines. Yes we found ourselves stuck in a tourist “herd” especially when visiting the Vatican. Okay a quick spiel about the good ol’ Vatican. We decided that St. Peter’s was incredible and well worth the smothering humans who line up to wait (proof of this in a picture tomorrow) but we have some qualms with the Vatican museum. Maybe it’s the lack of walking space or the evident truth that 99.9% of people are there just to view the Sistene Chapel which they probably have not a clue what it even is but know that it’s the place to be in their best attempt to feel intellectual in the art realm. Oh and side note…it takes about 2 miles of walking through the museum to even get to the Sistene and once again, we were just herded along like wild cows following the hundreds of signs that say “Sistene Chapel ”. If it wernt for those signs, I think the people would either A. get lost or B. give up hope that it would never come and decide the other art wasn’t good enough to continue on. So finally we get there and the actual room is even twice as crowded as the path to get there. Yes the art was phenomenal if you have the ability to block out the screaming children, guards yelling at those who are taking pictures, and an overhead speaker repeating in several different languages to please be silent. TOTAL CHAOS. I was more overwhelmed by this than the actual mural. Did we go? Yes. Did we appreciate it? Still not sure. Am I proud of this? No. Did it happen? Yes.

Oh and maybe our least favorite thing about Rome…the bus transportation. The metro stops at 11:30 (why? Not sure) but we found ourselves having to take a bus to get home last night that probably had about 500 people on it of which only about 10 females and none that I could even see. Noelle and I were up in the front. Me with an Italian’s butt pressed on my hip and Noelle with another Italian standing very very close—too much for comfort—right behind her. We still haven’t decided if this was an intentional way of being a creep or just due to the lack of space. We were highly irritated, ready to duke it out if necessary, and simply relieved to get off this zone of suffocation.

Moral of the story, I know it must be seen but when in Rome even for just two days…make sure and take as least one day trip elsewhere. It was a love/hate relationship for us…still deciding.